First and foremost, Durbin will fill a veteran hole in a crowded bullpen, and Phillies brass hope he can be the same reliable reliever they saw in Philadelphia from 2008-2010, one who can be relied on for multiple innings.

But Durbin, 35, also knows his other role — mentor. He'll also be expected to help along the young arms that currently populate much of the bullpen, arms that showed promise last year but were unreliable at times.

"(My role) was kind of understood," Durbin said of his talks with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. regarding coming back. "But also just in case i didn't intend on doing it, we'll give you a little nudge."

Durbin, however, will be no glorified coach. He saw a renaissance of sorts last season, when he went 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA with the wild-card Braves, who finished ahead of the Phillies in the NL East Division in 2012.